What were your impressions of your destination?

Sri Lanka was an incredibly welcoming country. I always felt as though people appreciated we were trying to do something helpful, even when we were finding it difficult to teach. I felt as if people wanted us to be there. Everyone was always keen to show the many places, customs and experiences their country had to offer. We did find some cultural differences difficult at times, as you'd expect in any foreign country, but in particular Sri Lankans tended to be less reserved than people I was used to back home. This was both good and bad. It was sweet when women would randomly touch your face and tell you were beautiful, and nice when people would talk to you on the bus, but not so nice when people would point out you were looking fatter or spottier than usual. It's something we got used to with time.

Was the work interesting and challenging?

I found the work was very challenging most of the time. The children were sometimes a handful and weren't used to the same sort of rules we are in English classrooms. At the same time we were battling with a much hotter climate than back home. Most of the challenge I faced were down to the cultural differences rather than the project itself. For example, getting used to 40 children shouting out the answer to your question at once and thinking that's perfectly normal. I'm glad it was a challenge though, as I think I gained much more from my project as it was, than if it had been really comfortable. There was also plenty of room to incorporate your own activities and interests into to project if you wanted to. We started an art class.

What was your accommodation like? Did you feel comfortable and welcome at all times?

My project partner and I shared a room in a small block within the grounds of a temple. We shared a shower room with other staff members and some monks. Also within the grounds was the Children's home we taught at, accommodation for the Buddhist monks at the temple and a nursery. The grounds were on a rubber estate which was a really beautiful (and shaded) place to live. We could see the temple from our accommodation block which overlooked a paddy field I really couldn't have asked for a nicer place to live on my Gap year. It was honestly the most stunning surroundings. I'm glad I shared a room as it meant I was never lonely and I had someone to help deal with the odd insect moments. During the year we had a fair few cockroaches, ant lines, giant moths, giant spiders, lizards and other insects pass through our room. I hated spiders before I left but just had to get on and deal with them when I was there, having a partner there helped a lot too.

Were you happy with the organisation and the staff that were responsible for you during your stay?

Overall I was very pleased with the support I got from Project Trust. I never felt like I couldn't see where my money was going. The selection, training and de-briefing we got before and after our year abroad was so valuable and was all part of the experience. The fact I was in Sri Lanka for a whole year, which I think is quite rare for gap year organisations, was one of the best things Project Trust offered. With a year you feel as though you have time to really explore your community and country and make meaningful relationships with the people around you. PT also sends a UK based representative out to visit you around half way through your year. This was great as we looked forward to this and felt like we had someone to show our work to and discuss any difficulties we were having, without language barriers or risk of offending them.

Do you feel that you got value for money on the project?

Absolutely.

Would you recommend the project to others?

Yes

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